It was finally the day! The long-awaited journey to the moon had begun!
Face plastered to her window, Anissa took in all possible visual information as efficiently as a kitchen sponge could absorb water. Breath slightly fogging the glass, the child did her best to keep her eyes open as long as possible so as to not miss even a single detail. Although she’d likely go on that trip again in the future, Anissa’s logical side was effortlessly overridden by the boundless enthusiasm.
The girl was born into a rich family that invested heavily in luxury services, the most expensive and prestigious of which was the hotel suite on the moon. Her family having many ties to space, she naturally became infatuated with it, deciding early in life that her destiny was to become the most famous astronaut by walking on all rocky planets in the solar system—an achievement no one had yet to claim. As soon as Anissa could speak she begged her parents to take her to the moon, which quickly became leverage for her to work hard in her studies. It wasn’t long after she could speak that she began learning to read and learn whatever her parents wanted her to learn, but she didn’t care. She made such progress in her studies that no curriculum worked for her, so she had plenty of time to divert her attention to space.
When she wasn’t simply studying outer space, Anissa would request her maids to play with her by simulating conditions on different planets by building sets and making use of elastic cords with harnesses to imitate the gravity of smaller planets. She even made use of weighted clothing to mimic gravitational conditions from larger planets.
With how her life had revolved around space, it was no wonder that Anissa had trouble paying attention to her parents after their launch.
“Anissa!” An impatient voice could be heard.
“Yes?” Anissa eventually turned around to face her mother who floated behind her with an amused smirk.
“Girl, you’ve seen countless documentaries and read too many books about this! Why does the empty space outside make you so excited? Why not join me in playing Zero-G Tag?”
Anissa considered her mother’s words before shaking her head and replying, “Watching or reading about it doesn’t match up to experiencing it!” She brushed some floating hair away from her eyes before continuing with, “The ride takes several hours, doesn’t it? We can play Zero-G games later. For now, I just want to watch the cosmos.”
“Honey, let her do her thing. As the first time she’s been in space, of course she wants to memorize as much as she can of the experience.” Anissa’s father entered the cabin with a smile on his face. “Let’s not bother her while we have a Zero-G Tickle Fight?”
As the seconds and minutes flew by, all was right in the world. Anissa’s mind was enchanted with the most serene peace she’d ever felt by simply hovering at a window, peering out at the universe beyond. The darkness of space was calming, as were the twinkles of stars. Eventually, Anissa came to the conclusion that nothing was more enjoyable than gazing at space and wished for the flight to continue forever. But of course, the flight could not continue forever, and they landed on the moon, where Anissa learned that her earlier conjecture was correct. Yes, jumping around in low-gravity was a bit of fun, and the rides on the moon were interesting…but nothing could beat the tranquility of space. Anissa even considered changing her life mission from stepping on every rocky planet in the solar system to spending the most time in space.
